Distance sensitive remote control systems

ABSTRACT

A distance sensitive remote control system includes a remote control transmitter that transmit a signal and a receiver than can receive the signal from the transmitter. A control device performs a function having a first and a second option. The control device responds to the signal received by the receiver and performs the first option if the distance between the remote control transmitter and the receiver is greater than a particular distance and performs the second option if the distance between the remote control transmitter and the receiver is less than a particular distance.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to remote control devicesand, more specifically, to a remote control system in which one or morefunctions of the system are affected by the distance between the remotecontrol and the receiver.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Remote controls, for everything from televisions to vehicle alarmsystems to ceiling fans, have become ubiquitous. The remote controlsystems allow an operator to control the functions of a variety ofdevices from a remote position. While the primary benefit of remotecontrol systems is convenience, the systems also provide increasedsafety and functionality. For example, many automobiles are equippedwith remote locking and unlocking systems and/or remote activated alarmsystems. In these systems, a small remote control, often called a keyfob, with one or more buttons, is operable to control locking andunlocking of the vehicle doors and/or arming and disarming of the alarmsystem. Remote unlocking of the vehicle doors is certainly moreconvenient than using a traditional key to unlock the doors. However,the system also provides safety benefits. A person walking alone atnight may push “unlock” on the remote to unlock the car door as theyapproach the car. This significantly reduces the amount of time requiredto enter the car and reduces the time during which the person is exposedto potential risk. Also, in many vehicles, remote locking or unlockingcauses other functions to be activated. For example, many vehiclesilluminate interior lighting when the vehicle is remotely unlocked. Thisallows the owner to easily see whether the car has been tampered withand also helps in locating the vehicle. Some vehicles illuminateexterior lighting or sound a signal, such as the vehicle horn, duringeither locking or unlocking. These functions serve several purposes.First, the visual or audio signal helps the user to locate theirvehicle. Additionally, the light or sound may serve to scare awayundesirable characters who may be near the vehicle. Finally, the audibleor visual signal helps to confirm that the signal from the remotecontrol has been received by the vehicle.

[0003] A shortcoming of current remote control systems is that thesystems are incapable of adjusting their function based on the distancebetween the remote control and the receiver. Remote control unlockingand locking systems for vehicles serve as an excellent example of whythis shortcoming is undesirable. In vehicles which provide an audiblealert when the vehicle has been locked or unlocked, the audible alert isof a constant volume level. Automakers attempt to choose a sound andvolume level which serves to alert the user to the functioning of theremote control under a variety of conditions. However, thisnonadjustable level is always a compromise. In a noisy environment, suchas along a city street, the standard volume level of an audible signalassociated with locking or unlocking may be insufficient to overpowerthe background sound. Also, if the user is far from the vehicle whenusing the remote, the audible signal may be insufficient to reach themat this distance. This is especially a problem in that the effectivenessof the remote control drops as the distance increases. When the user isfar from the vehicle, it is more important to receive a confirmationthat the signal has been received so that the user does not repeatedlyactivate the remote control. At the opposite end of the spectrum, presetaudible signals are often too loud in some settings. A user who parks ina small enclosed parking area, such as a parking garage, or in a quietresidential area, may find that the audible alert associated with remotelocking of their vehicle is embarrassingly loud. In light of the above,there is a need for remote control systems that adjust their function inresponse to distance between the remote control and the receiver.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention provides a remote control system whereinone or more aspects of the system are adjusted according to the distancebetween the remote control transmitter and receiver. The system includesa remote control transmitter operable to transmit a signal and areceiver operable to receive the signal from the remote controltransmitter. The system also includes a control device which isconfigured to perform a function having a first and second option. Thecontrol device is responsive to the signal received by the receiver andoperable to perform the first option with the distance between theremote control transmitter and the receiver is greater than the firstpredetermined distance and to perform the second option if the distancebetween the remote control and transmitter and the receiver is less thanthe second predetermined distance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle including a remotecontrol receiver and a driver with a remote control transmitter;

[0006]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a transmitter and a receiver with anadjustable distance X therebetween; and

[0007]FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing components of one embodiment ofthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] According to the present invention, remote control systems areprovided with the additional functionality that one or more functions ofthe remote control system may be altered based on the distance betweenthe remote control and the receiver. An illustrative example of thissystem will be based on automobile remote locking and unlocking systems.As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 10 may be remotely locked and unlocked bya remote control 12. According to the present invention, the response ofthe automobile to a signal received from the remote control depends inpart on the distance between the remote control and the vehicle. FIG. 2shows a diagram with a remote control transmitter 12 and a remotecontrol receiver 14. The distance between the transmitter 12 and thereceiver 14 is indicated by X. Typically the distance X may be adjustedbetween the transmitter and the receiver.

[0009] In the present example, the automobile is capable of providing anaudible alert, via sounding the vehicle horn or other sound producingdevice, in response to a signal received from the remote control. Forexample, when the lock button is pressed on the remote control, thevehicle locks its doors and sounds a short beep using the vehicle horn.According to this embodiment of the present invention, the volume of thebeep depends on the distance between the remote control and the vehicle.When the remote control is at the limit of its range, far from thevehicle, the vehicle responds to a lock signal from the remote controlby sounding a loud beep and locking the doors. This allows the user,located at a distance from the vehicle, to easily hear the audiblesignal. When the remote control is located closer to the vehicle, thevehicle responds to a lock signal by a correspondingly less loud beep.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, use of theremote control at a position very close to the vehicle results in noaudible signal. That is, if the remote control is activated to send alock signal to the vehicle when the remote control is located only a fewfeet from the vehicle, the vehicle responds by locking the doors butdoes not sound an audible alert. Typically, the sound of the lockcylinders locking the doors will be sufficient audible confirmation thatthe command has been carried out. This allows the user to select asilent mode for locking when they are in a quiet atmosphere. Forexample, when the user is parking in a quiet residential neighborhood,they may close the doors and then hold the remote close to the vehicleand press lock. This will cause the vehicle to lock its doors and notsound a possibly embarrassing audible signal. The same user, whenparking their vehicle in the more typical noisy street atmosphere,simply presses the lock button on the remote control at any distancefrom the vehicle, within the range of the remote control. The vehiclewill respond with an audible signal whose volume depends on the distancebetween the remote control and the vehicle. If the user has waited untilthey are far from the vehicle, a louder audible signal will be sounded.Alternatively, the length of audible signal sounded and/or the number ofaudible signals sounded may be adjusted based on distance.

[0011] As an alternative, visual indicators may also be adjusted basedon distance of the remote control from the vehicle. On a vehicle that isequipped to flash its parking lights in response to a lock or unlocksignal, the brightness and/or length of the flash, or number of flashes,may be adjusted based on the distance between the remote control and thevehicle. For example, when a user is attempting to find their vehicle ina parking lot, and they are far from the vehicle, pressing the remotecauses the vehicle to flash its parking lights at full intensity and/orleave them on for a long time and/or flash the lights a large number oftimes. However, when the user is very close to the vehicle, no flash, alow intensity flash, and/or a short duration flash may be produced.

[0012] In another embodiment of the present invention, both an audibleand visual indication may be adjusted based on the distance of theremote control from the vehicle. For example, if the remote is activatedclose to the vehicle, the confirmation signal is merely visual,consisting of a short and/or low intensity flash of light. At furtherdistances, the visual confirmation may be supplemented by an audiblesignal from the vehicle horn or other means.

[0013] As will be clear to those of skill in the art, there are numerousways in which distance between the remote control and the vehicle may bedetermined. As one example, signal strength may be used as an indicatorof distance. For example, if the vehicle receives a very strong remotecontrol signal, the remote control is determined to be close to thevehicle and a low intensity visual or auditory indication, or no visualor auditory indication, is triggered. Alternatively, when the remotecontrol is at the limit of its range, the signal received by the vehiclewill be much weaker. In this case, a higher intensity visual and/orauditory indication is triggered. Therefore, the strength of theconfirmation auditory/visual is inversely proportional to remote controlsignal strength as received by the vehicle. As another approach, thevehicle remote control receiver may determine the distance between theremote control and the vehicle through timing pulses sent between thevehicle and the remote control. For example, a signal is first sent fromthe remote control the vehicle. A transceiver in the vehicle transmits apulse signal back to the remote control. The remote control, which alsoincorporates a transceiver, receives the signal from the car andimmediately retransmits a response signal. The time period betweentransmission of a signal by the vehicle and receipt of a response signalby the vehicle from the remote control is related to the distancebetween the remote control and the vehicle. The system may alternativelyuse the approach described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,271 to Junkin, theentire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. Thepresent invention may use any approach to determining distance,including determining relative positions (such as GPS). It should benoted that the term “distance” is used herein in a very broad sense. Thesystem may not actually determine distance, such as a particular numberof feet, but rather just sense relative strengths, or other factorsrelated to distance.

[0014] Referring now to FIG. 3, a block diagram of one embodiment of thepresent invention will be discussed. Again, a transmitter 12 and areceiver 14 are shown, which may have a variable distance therebetween.A master control 16 is provided which communicates with the receiver 14for determining when the receiver receives the signal from thetransmitter. The master control in turn controls a function of thevehicle, such as the alarm and door locking control 18. By sending asignal from the master control to the alarm and door locking control,the master control 16 may control whether the doors are locked orunlocked and whether the alarm is armed, disarmed, or in some othermode. The master control is also operable to determine the distancebetween the transmitter 12 and receiver 14, or some factor related tothe distance.

[0015] Box 20 lists two options for functions performed by the mastercontrol. Option 1 is listed as “loud sound and bright flash.” Option 2is listed as “quiet sound and no flash.” Box 20 is provided merely todemonstrate the choice of the two options for a function, with theseoptions being provided in any of a number of ways, including lookuptables or other means. The master control communicates with a speaker 22and a light control 24 for performing the functions with the optionslisted in box 20. The speaker 20 may be the vehicle horn, an alarmspeaker, or any other device to create an audible signal. The lightcontrol may be a control that controls any or all lights on the vehicleor maybe an auxiliary light of some type.

[0016] In use, the transmitter 12 sends a signal to receiver 14. In thisexample, we will assume the transmitter sends a signal to the receiverindicative of a “unlock” button being pressed on the remote control'stransmitter. The receiver communicates to the master control 16 that an“unlock” signal has been received. The master control determines thedistance between the transmitter and receiver (or the distance betweenthe transmitter and the vehicle or a factor related to these distances).Depending on the rules programmed into the master control 16, the mastercontrol would then determine what options it would use in performing acertain function. In this case, we will assume that the rules providethat the master control chooses option 1 if the distance between thetransmitter is greater than a first predetermined distance ofapproximately 50 feet. The control chooses the second option is thedistance is less than a second predetermined distance of approximately50 feet. The first and second predetermined distances may be differentthan one another for certain applications. These distance-based rulesmay instead be based on signal strength or other factors related todistance. For example, option 1 may be chosen if the time elapsedbetween transmission and receipt of a time signal is greater than apredetermined time and option 2 is chosen if the time elapsed is lessthan a predetermined time. The master control then signals the speaker22 and/or light control 24 to perform the options chosen. For example,if the distance is longer than the predetermined distance, option 1 ischosen and the speaker creates a loud sound and the light controlcreates a bright flash. Additional options may be provided, or theoptions may be continuous such that the function performed variescontinuously or semicontinuously with distance. For example, the volumeof the speaker may increase continuously with distance up to the rangeof the remote control.

[0017] The use of multiple options based on distance for variousfunctions of a vehicle may be extended to any other functions of thevehicle, including the alarm system. Further, the actual operation ofthe system being controlled by the remote control may be altered basedon distance. As one example, the disarming of the alarm system andunlocking the doors may be performed in different ways depending on thedistance between the remote control and the receiver. In one embodiment,the system determines the distance between the remote control and thereceiver when the operator presses either the “unlock” button or the“disarm” button. If the distance is greater than a predetermineddistance the system sounds an audible and/or visual confirmatory signalto indicate that the signal was received, but delays actual disarming orunlocking for a period of time to allow the operator to be closer to thecar prior to unlocking it. This can provide additional safety benefitsas the car does not unlock until the operator is closer. The system mayalso monitor the distance between the remote control and the receiver.In one embodiment, the operator presses a button to disarm the alarm orunlock the doors and the system checks the distance between the remotecontrol transmitter and receiver. If the distance is greater than apredetermined distance, the system monitors the distance between thetransmitter and receiver as the user approaches the vehicle. This may bedone in a variety of ways, such as transmitting signals back and forthbetween the transmitter and receiver (requiring both to be transceivers)so as to continuously monitor the distance. Once the user has approachedwithin a predetermined distance to the car, the system goes ahead anddisarms the alarm and unlocks one or more doors.

[0018] Referring again to FIG. 3, it will be clear to those of skill inthe art that the various components and/or functions described withrespect to FIG. 3 are primarily illustrative of their various functionsrather than the actual construction of a physical system. The receiver14 and/or master control 16 and/or alarm and door locking control 18and/or speaker 22 and/or light control 24 may be integrated into asingle unit, or have their functions distributed among discretecomponents in a manner other than illustrated. Consequently, when thepresent specification or claim states that a certain componentdetermines the distance between the transmitter and receiver, thisdetermination function may be performed by any of the components in thesystem, rather than a particular component called out.

[0019] As a further aspect of the present invention, one or morefunctions of a remote control system may be altered based on otherfactors. For example, a vehicle with a remote control locking system mayinclude an internal or external microphone or sound sensor for sensingambient noise levels in the area in or around the car. The volume levelof an auditory confirmatory signal, in response to a remote controltrigger, may be adjusted based on the ambient sound level. If theambient sound level is very low, as if the vehicle is parked in a quietresidential area, a very low volume, or no volume indicator istriggered. In a very noisy environment, a louder sound level is detectedby the microphone and a loud auditory confirmation sound is given inresponse to the remote control signal.

[0020] As yet another aspect of the present invention, one or morefunctions of the remote control signal may be adjusted based on ambientlight level. In this way, a remote control system may be programmed togive a low intensity confirmatory flash of light when the ambient lightlevel is low and a much brighter confirmatory flash of light whenambient light levels are high. If desired, the auditory level could alsobe adjusted based on ambient light level. In this way, the system can beprogrammed to give a very quiet or no auditory signal when ambient lightlevels are low, such as at night, but to give a louder signal during theday.

[0021] The present invention has application outside of the automotiveindustry. As one example, a television with a remote control may includethe functionality of the present invention. When the user of thetelevision set is very close to the television, the television mayrespond to remote control signals differently than when the user isfarther away. As one example, if the user turns a television set on fromvery close to the television, the television may set its initial soundlevel lower when it comes on. Alternatively, if the user is much fartheraway, the initial volume setting can be set much higher. Brightnesslevels may also be initially set based on remote control distance. Asone aspect of this embodiment, a remote control may include an “optimizefor viewing distance” button on a remote control. A user could pressthis button when they are seated in their favorite viewing position andthe television could adjust its settings according to rules based onwhat settings are optimal for that viewing distance.

[0022] The present invention also has application for audio equipment.In this case, the audio system may alter stereo balance and relativevolume levels of various speakers in a room depending upon the positionof a remote control. In this way, the user may position themselves intheir favorite listening position, press a control on the remotecontrol, such as an “optimize for listening position” button, and havethe system automatically alter its settings so as to provide an optimallistening experience at the user's location. This could includeadjusting subwoofer or bass levels, equalizer settings, balance, frontto rear fade, center channel level, and numerous aspects of surroundsound settings. For these later aspects of the present invention, it maybe preferred that the remote control system be capable of determiningmore than just distance between the remote control and the receiver.Instead, it may be preferable to determine two-dimensional orthree-dimensional position of the remote control in the listening orviewing space. For this purpose, additional remote control receivers maybe provided so that a triangulation may be performed to determine thelocation of the user. Other location approaches may also be used. Forexample, signal reflection patterns may be used to help determinelocation.

[0023] As a further aspect of the present invention, remote controlfunction may change depending on the location of the remote control. Forexample, some home automation systems include remote controls. In thiscase, certain controls on the remote control may alter their functiondepending on what room the user is located in. For example, using thevolume control on the remote control in the living room adjusts soundlevel in the living room while using the same remote control in thebedroom causes an adjustment in the volume level in the bedroom.

[0024] Alternatives to the disclosed preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, which do not depart from its scope or teaching, willbe clear to those of skill in the art. It is the following claims,including all equivalents, which determine the scope of the presentinvention.

1. A remote control system comprising: a remote control transmitteroperable to transmit a signal; a receiver operable to receive the signalfrom the remote control transmitter; a control device configured toperform a function having a first and a second option, said controldevice responsive to the signal received by the receiver and operable toperform the first option if the distance between the remote controltransmitter and the receiver is greater than a first predetermineddistance and to perform the second option if the distance between theremote control transmitter and the receiver is less than a secondpredetermined distance.
 2. The remote control system according to claim1, wherein the function is production of an audible signal, with thefirst option being production of a loud audible signal and the secondoption being production of an audible signal that is less loud than theloud signal.
 3. The remote control system according to claim 2, whereinthe less loud signal is an inaudible signal.
 4. The remote controlsystem according to claim 1, wherein the function is door locking for anautomobile and production of a confirmatory signal, with the firstoption being locking of the doors and production of a confirmatorysignal that is audible and the second option being locking of the doorsand production of a confirmatory signal that is visual.
 5. The remotecontrol system according to claim 1, wherein the first and secondpredetermined distances are the same distance.
 6. A remote controlsystem for a vehicle, comprising: a remote control transmitter operableto transmit a signal; a receiver operable to receive the signal from theremote control transmitter and to determine the distance between thereceiver and the remote control transmitter; a confirmation deviceoperable to selectively produce two or more distinct confirmatorysignals; a control device in communication with the receiver andoperable to control a function of the vehicle in response to the signalfrom the remote control, the control device further being incommunication with and operable to control the confirmation device suchthat when the receiver receives a signal from the remote control, thecontrol device controls the function of the vehicle and causes theconfirmation device to produce one of the confirmatory signals, theconfirmatory signal being produced depending on the distance between thereceiver and the remote control transmitter.
 7. The remote controlsystem according to claim 6, wherein the confirmatory signals include atleast two audible signals, a first audible signal being louder than asecond audible signal, the control device causing the confirmationdevice to produce the first audible signal when the distance between thereceiver and the remote control transmitter is greater than apredetermined distance and to produce the second audible signal when thedistance between the receiver and the remote control transmitter isgreater than the predetermined distance.
 8. The remote control systemaccording to claim 6, wherein a first confirmatory signal is an audiblesignal and a second confirmatory signal is an inaudible signal, thecontrol device causing the confirmation device to produce the firstsignal when the distance between the receiver and the remote controltransmitter is greater than a predetermined distance and to produce thesecond signal when the distance between the receiver and the remotecontrol transmitter is less than the predetermined distance.
 9. Theremote control system according to claim 8, wherein the secondconfirmatory signal is a visual signal.
 10. The remote control systemaccording to claim 6, wherein the vehicle includes a light and theconfirmatory signals include at least two distinct visual signalsproduced by the light.
 11. The remote control system according to claim10, wherein a first visual signal is a bright flash of light and asecond visual signal is a flash of light that is less bright than thefirst signal, the control device causing the confirmation device toproduce the first signal when the distance between the receiver and theremote control transmitter is greater than a predetermined distance andto produce the second signal when the distance between the receiver andthe remote control transmitter is less than the predetermined distance.12. The remote control system according to claim 10, wherein a firstvisual signal is a sequence of light flashes having a predeterminednumber of flashes and a second visual signal is a sequence of lightflashes having less than the predetermined number of flashes, thecontrol device causing the confirmation device to produce the firstsignal when the distance between the receiver and the remote controltransmitter is greater than a predetermined distance and to produce thesecond signal when the distance between the receiver and the remotecontrol transmitter is less than the predetermined distance.
 13. Theremote control system according to claim 10, wherein a first visualsignal is an illumination of the light for a predetermined period and asecond visual signal is an illumination of the light for less than thepredetermined period, the control device causing the confirmation deviceto produce the first signal when the distance between the receiver andthe remote control transmitter is greater than a predetermined distanceand to produce the second signal when the distance between the receiverand the remote control transmitter is less than the predetermineddistance.
 14. The remote control system according to claim 6, whereinthe function of the vehicle controlled by the control device is afunction selected from the group consisting of alarm arming, alarmdisarming, door locking, door unlocking, and trunk opening.
 15. A methodof controlling a remote function comprising: providing a remote controltransmitter and a receiver; sending a signal from the remote controltransmitter to the receiver; determining the distance between the remotecontrol transmitter and the receiver; performing a first function inresponse to the signal from the transmitter if the distance between thetransmitter and the receiver is less than a first predetermineddistance; and performing a second function in response to the signalfrom the transmitter if the distance between the transmitter and thereceiver is greater than a second predetermined distance.
 16. The methodaccording to claim 15, wherein the first function includes producing afirst audible signal and the second function includes producing a secondaudible signal that is louder than the first audible signal.
 17. Themethod according to claim 15, wherein the first function includesproducing a visual signal and the second function includes producing anaudible signal.
 18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the firstfunction includes unlocking the door of a vehicle and the secondfunction includes unlocking the door of the vehicle after a delay.
 19. Amethod of controlling a remote function comprising: providing a remotecontrol transmitter and a receiver; sending a signal from the remotecontrol transmitter to the receiver; determining the distance betweenthe remote control transmitter and the receiver; performing a functionin response to the signal from the remote control transmitter; producinga first confirmatory signal having an adjustable output level, theoutput level being adjusted based on the distance between the remotecontrol transmitter and receiver.
 20. The method according to claim 19,wherein the confirmatory signal is an audible signal and the signalloudness is adjusted based on the distance between the remote control,the loudness increasing with increasing distance.
 21. The methodaccording to claim 19, wherein the confirmatory signal is an audiblesignal and the output level is a duration, the duration of the audiblesignal increasing with increasing distance.